What is a high-key image?

A high key image is one that in its tonal range is dominated by lighter mid tones and white highlights.

In this product shoot there is a very bright white desktop to set the scene, and on top of it most subjects are very bright as well. The Notebook and the coffee, together with the pen, are in stark contrast to the otherwise high key image.

This happens naturally if you a shooting where there is lots of light and/or bright surfaces to reflect the light. Or it can be achieved by over-exposing the image or post processing it in post to achieve the same effect.

High-key image example

If you study the histogram of a high-key image, you will see that it “tilts” very much to the right, with almost no blacks or shadows. The few black tones that you do see however, stand out so much more because of the “light” impression of the image overall.

In the example above you can see that the seagull and the black sails of the boat stand out, whereas the rest of the image is highlights or whites. This helps the subjects “pop”, i.e. they stand out because the contrast to the rest of the image is so significant.

High-key images have a light and positive feel to them, quite contrary to low-key images that in all aspects are the exact opposite.

A low key image – lots of blacks and shadows, but not many whites or highlights.

Related reading

What is hard light vs soft light?

What is light falloff in photography?

Author: Frederik Bøving

Frederik is a photographer, blogger and youtuber living in Denmark in the Copenhagen region. Outdoor photography is the preference, but Frederik can also be found doing flash photography applied to product shoots and stills.

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